NEWPORT — The cause of a weekend fire in the Newport city garage that damaged several city vehicles may not be known for weeks. Authorities labeled it as suspicious.

        No one was injured in the 8:40 p.m. Saturday fire at 1020 E. Ninth St. Damaged were: a street sweeper on loan to the fire department, a city pool car, a dump truck, a tractor and structural steel in the garage roof.

        No damage cost could be determined Sunday, and it could take up to a month before the cause of the fire is known, said Capt.Ken Elliott of the Newport Fire Department.

        “We took samples and sent them out to the lab,” Capt. Elliott said. “When they come back, hopefully we'll know something.”
       

Ice cream vendor robbed in Fairmount

               Cincinnati police are investigating an aggravated robbery in which someone stole candy and $200 in cash from an ice-cream truck in North Fairmount.

        The robbery occurred at 7:40 p.m. Saturday in the 1900 block of Knob Court, police said.

        Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 352-3040.
       

President chosen for Toledo campus

               TOLEDO — University of Toledo trustees have selected a new president, voting 9-0 Saturday to hire Dr. Daniel M. Johnson, a provost at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

        Dr. Johnson's appointment is effective July 1.

        The university was seeking a successor to Vik Kapoor, who resigned last June after 17 months in office.

        Dr. Johnson, 60, is Toledo's 15th president. The native of Springfield will earn $215,000 annually, the university said in a statement.
       

Family Dollar store robbed after closing

               COLLEGE HILL — Someone hid in a Family Dollar store here Saturday, then robbed the store after it closed and forced workers into a locked area, Cincinnati police said.

        There was no report of injuries to employees at the store at 5823 Hamilton Ave., police said.

        The robber got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
       

Trump wants to buy second Ind. casino

               GARY, Ind. — Donald Trump is interested in buying the riverboat casino that shares a Lake Michigan dock here with his own Trump Casino.

        That is, if Indiana lawmakers pass legislation permitting multiboat ownership in the state.

        “It allows someone like myself to have more than one asset in the area,” Mr. Trump said. “It would be a great savings.”

        The New York billionaire endorsed the legislation during a visit last week to Gary to attend the Miss USA pageant, which he co-owns.

        Mr. Trump also said he supports legislation that would remove the cruising requirement on Indiana riverboats. He said Illinois, which allows dockside gambling, “is just hurting Indiana terribly.”
       

18-year-old held in Covington shooting

               COVINGTON — An 18-year-old Covington man was charged with first-degree assault in the Saturday night shooting of another Covington man on Madison Avenue, police said.

        Joseph McMeans was being held Sunday in the Kenton County Detention Center.

        Austin Frazier, 35, was shot twice in the back with a small-caliber handgun, police said. His condition was unavailable Sunday.
       

Rape charges filed against west-side man

               CLEVES — A Miamitown man has been charged with rape and gross sexual imposition involving two preteen girls, Cleves police said.

        John Garza, 61, of the 7000 block of Harrison Avenue, was arrested on the two felony charges Saturday after an interview with police.

        The investigation was prompted by a complaint from the mother of the girls, who are ages 11 and 9, police said.
       

Group blasts Ind. income tax structure

               Indiana's low-income working families pay some of the highest state income taxes in the nation, putting them at particular risk as the nation's economy weakens, according to a new report.

        The income level at which the income tax kicks in is third-lowest in the nation for a family of four, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concludes.

        The nonpartisan research group said although the estimated poverty line last year for a two-parent family of four was $17,601, Indiana starts collecting an income tax for the same size family earning just $9,500.

        That ties Indiana with Montana for third-lowest income level at which taxes are collected, said Beryl Cohen, project director at the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues at Indianapolis.
       

People fight to buy Air Jordan shoes

               COLUMBUS — The new Air Jordan shoes had people clawing, kicking and punching to buy a limited version of the pair Michael Jordan wore during one of the Bulls' championship seasons.

        Police were dispatched to shopping malls across Ohio on Saturday to control crowds of people struggling to get one of only dozens of pairs most stores had in stock.

        Columbus officers used chemical spray on some customers outside FootAction USA at the Columbus City Center. The store never opened because of the disturbance.

        Police also had to break up fights outside shoe stores at the Eastland and Northland malls in Columbus.

        The source of the problems was the Nike Retro Air Jordan XI, a gray version of the shoes Michael Jordan wore during the 1995-96 NBA season and in the movie, Space Jam. The shoes, released Saturday, cost $125.

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